BigStar's App Puts the Lie to Apple's Anti-Porn Stance on the iPhone/iPad [UPDATE] - CBS News

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UPDATE: BigStar reached out to respond to the controversy. The response (in part, because of space constraints): "...The MPAA is pretty clear that it considers porn NC-17. All of the films mentioned in the article are rated R. Compare this to Netflix, which offers "Teenage Catgirls in Heat" (NR), "Caligula" (NR) and "Last Tango in Paris" (NC-17) or even to Hulu+, which offers the extremely bare-breasted "Red Shoes Diaries" and other late-night fare. While we appreciate the attention in BigStar's offerings, we believe it's not fair to call any of our offerings porn - unless you also classify the late-night fare of Netflix, Hulu, HBO/Cinemax and many other vendors as being in the same camp. As such, we are in full compliance with Apple's terms of service."
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Movie streaming website BigStar has been delivering porn movies through its iPhone/iPod app for weeks, which pokes major holes in Apple's (APPL) "freedom from porn" claims. In fact, it also foreshadows how Google's (GOOG) recent porn ban will likewise deliver more hot air than clean content.

Similar to Netflix, BigStar charges $4.99/month to stream its movies through the app. As Anthony Ha of VentureBeat notes, the company coyly claims the adult films, including the Playboy movie Anna Nicole Smith Exposed, are only available only through the Safari web browser. However, both Ha and I were able to see that film and other mature titles listed under the BigStar "Most Popular" tab in the app. (The same app is available on other mobile platforms, too, including Android.)

This hole in security shows that, like the TSA at the airports, mobile companies are not equipped to properly enforce their safety claims -- harassing innocent bystanders while letting the real culprits pass.

First off, beyond the obvious sex-related apps, it has been nearly impossible for Apple to actually keep pornography off its mobile device: Many mature iPhone/iPod apps remained after Steve Jobs banned porn nearly a year ago. More than 200,000 apps have been released within the past 2 years, and Apple has had a difficult enough time approving them in a timely fashion, nevertheless going through each with a fine-tooth comb.

Second, the collateral damage from Apple's war on porn efforts have been significant:

Finally, the porn industry will not let go of its mobile opportunities. It is actually in a slump, suffering from both the recession and heavily bootlegged content, and its executives see mobile as a savior. Google's recent porn ban doesn't mean that mature content is going away on the Android -- it just means it will backdoor onto the devices, as it has on the iPad/iPod/iPhone over the past year. And Google's app-evaluation process isn't half so strict as Apple's.

There is no way for Apple or Google to skim their catalog and find adult content within an app, a la BigStar, which means porn is pretty much here to stay on smartphones and tablets. At the same time, many relatively innocent apps are likely to get caught in the crossfire, and consumers will still have to wade through oceans of misleading hype about devices that shield them from porn.

Photo courtesy of BigStarTV // CC 2.0
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